Responding to news over the weekend that Cllr Gill Neal has resigned but intends to continue to sit as an ‘independent’ councillor, a St Helens Labour Group spokesperson says:

“It is disappointing that Cllr Neal and her husband have chosen to stand down just days after they asked loyal local party members to endorse them as candidates in next May’s elections.

We will quickly move to select new candidates in Town Centre and Parr wards who share Labour’s values and our commitment to working hard for the people of St Helens.

Cllr Gill Neal was elected in 2016 thanks to the hard work of Labour Party activists and volunteers, who understandably feel very let down by her actions.

Also let down are the people of Windle who voted to elect Gill Neal as a Labour councillor. If she now wishes to serve as an ‘independent’, she should resign and seek a mandate for that decision in a by-election.”